Dear Editor:
The current demonstrations on Wall Street and in several major cities across the country have turned the spotlight on our national problems. Just as they did to correct the colossal mistake of our war in Vietnam, Americans are taking to the streets to protest the unbridled greed of Wall Street and the control of our Congress by lobbyists for megacorporations who use the power of money to guarantee that they continue to go unregulated and bloated with corporate welfare.
The right wing is quick to smear the protesters as un-American anarchists and troublemakers in general. A big lie! In any large demonstration, a few opportunists may shop up with suspect agendas, but the great majority of these present protesters are true Americans peacefully calling for reform. Most of them are young. Many are college students petitioning Congress to act to deal with the greedy conglomerates that are holding their future hostage. In their ranks are teachers and the unemployed of all ages.
Unfortunately, they are appealing to a Congress dominated in the House by right wing Republicans, and enough Republicans in the Senate who, although in the minority, are able to use Senate rules to block any progressive legislation. Led by John Boehner, Mitch McConnell and Eric Cantor, the congressional Republicans have embraced as their top priority not the creation of jobs but the defeat of Obama in the 2012 elections. with their smug cynicism and gross insensitivity, they are bent on assuring that the economy stays in the doldrums, even though this means prolonging the suffering of American families. Anything to unseat Obama.
We should not forget that our present economic mess is the result of the reckless policies of Bush and Cheney. But some among us have short memories.
Denton May
Cortez